Antibodies: polyclonal vs monoclonal - (Dec/01/2004 )

I am planning to pick up a antibody for my protein to be used in western blotts, ChIp assay etc. How does one decide whether to choose a polyclonal or monoclonal abtibody. Does it detemine the specificity of detection.
The antibody for my protein is not commercially available. So I will have to get it synthesised. Can anyone tell me a good reliable source for custom antibody synthesis.
Thanks

I don't know if antibodies can be synthesized.

If you need an antibody, you provide your antigen to a company and they will raise the antibody for you. antisera may be cheap, but Mab is very costly.

Antibodies are too big proteins to be synthesized. Companies synthetise peptides, in case of antibodies they just immunize laboratory animals (mice, rats, rabbits or any) with a protein of interest, the animals produce antibodies against this protein, and then the abs are purified from their sera.
Polyclonal abs are less specific but cheaper than monoclonal.